The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion

Chapter 396: The Evil of the Peach Blossom

Sun Shaozong saw Jia Baoyu being carried elsewhere so he hurried back to the Lotus Root Pavilion.

After entering the door, he saw that Yu Qian and Jia Lan still had an ongoing conversation, and the atmosphere seemed very harmonious. This was a sigh of relief.

“Tingyi.”

He came forward and rubbed Jia Lan's tiny brain, laughing smugly, "Well, does this child catch your eye?”

Yu Qian also smiled but avoided answering, "Thirteenth Uncle, it's getting late now. Should we also…”

Was this a polite refusal?

Was there still anything else to test?

Sun Shaozong pondered in his heart but didn't want to force anything. He quickly called out the big maid Suyun from the next door, entrusted Jia Lan to her care, and then walked out of the water pavilion with Yu Qian.

About a mile away, Sun Shaozong suddenly stopped and said sternly, "Tingyi, there are no outsiders present now. What do you think in your heart? Can you give me a thorough understanding?”

“Uncle, to be honest, this child is intelligent and obedient. I like him very much, but…”

“It’s unfair; I’m wronged!”

Before he could finish saying, they suddenly heard someone in the nearby peach forest crying and howling, “This is a great injustice! Most of those rascals lost their lives because of this. How dare I even corrupt silver from the garden repair?”

Looking through the sound, he saw Zhou Rui leading several healthy servants and driving a colorful and bound servant out of the courtyard. This servant was no one else and was the most favored Xing'er by Jia Lian's side.

Just listening to Zhou Rui angrily scolding and saying, "What are you shouting about? The Second Madam only said to take you over to ask questions but didn't say she wanted to inquire about the embezzlement of silver. Is there a ghost in your heart when you're so blatant?”

Seeing this group of people pushing and shoving away, Yu Qian pointed to their backs and sighed. "Although the child is good, he may not be able to learn anything good with the style of Rongguo Mansion. When he grows a few more years, he may not be able to learn anything good.”

So he was worried about this.

However, there was indeed some truth to this concern. Jia Lan was indeed intelligent and obedient at his age, but it was also difficult to predict what he would become in the future. Yu Qian was not a private school owner, and accepting an apprentice was a lifelong matter, so naturally, he needed to consider the long-term effect.

But Sun Shaozong also made a promise in front of Li Wan; how could he just sit back and let this matter go wrong?

So he quickly distinguished and said, "Just now, Brother Bao was called out, and he was beaten by the Old Second Master [Jia Zheng]. I see what he meant, and he should be determined to rectify the atmosphere in the Mansion. He is a well-known upright person, and if he makes up his mind...”

Before Sun Shaozong could finish speaking, Yu Qian shook his head and said, "The Old Second Master has assumed to rectify in vain, but in fact, he is indecisive and can’t clearly reward and punish others. His beloved Concubine almost poisoned his legitimate son and niece's wife, but he only knows how to protect them, causing complaints from the whole family.”

Speaking of this, he waved his sleeve disdainfully and said, "How can we talk about self-cultivation and family management like this?”

Unexpectedly, he didn’t have much contact with the people of Rongguo Mansion, but he had already seen through the essence of Jia Zheng.

Since he had already commented on Jia Zheng, Yu Qian was no longer prepared to hide it. He simply discussed Jia Baoyu and Jia Lian, saying, "As for Jia Baoyu, although he has some talent, he is also a lazy and accustomed young man. Even if he is aroused by the desire to make progress for a while, I’m afraid he will find it difficult to persevere.”

“Not to mention Jia Lian. He has been immersed in debauchery and wealth all day, and even his wife and concubines are difficult to balance. If it weren't for the shadow of his ancestors, these people would be worthless.”

He commented on three out of the four male masters in Rongguo Mansion but didn’t mention Jia She.

For one thing, Jia She was Sun Shaozu's father-in-law after all, and it was customary to keep a secret for those who respected him. Second, Jia She was a famous old bastard so he has nothing to comment on.

After listening to him, Sun Shaozong chuckled and said, "Listen to your words; you mean that a grand Rongguo Mansion has no merit at all?”

“Not so.”

Yu Qian shook his head and said, "The several in-laws relatives of Rongguo Mansion are all selected by the superior, including the Xiande Imperial Consort, Minister Wang, and the Zhen family from Yangzhou. As long as one of these three in-laws' relatives stands firm, it will be enough to guard and help Rongguo Mansion.”

After speaking, he spread his hands and said, "But these are all distant waters. No matter how turbulent they are, I'm afraid they won't wash away the dirt in Rongguo Mansion. Although there are also some good ones, they are rare anomalies. I never dared to gamble.”

After all, Yu Qian was still afraid that Jia Lan, a small sapling, would be tainted by the large dye vat of Rongguo Mansion.

And Sun Shaozong didn't want to be ungrateful. He painted and powdered the family style of this Rongguo Mansion, although compared to the neighboring Ningguo Mansion, this Rongguo Mansion was as clean as white paper.

After an awkward silence, Sun Shaozong said, “The atmosphere of Rongguo Mansion is a bit poor, but his mother, Li-Shi, is from a scholarly family background. She is the daughter of a former Imperial College scholar and can be considered a family background. With her constant supervision, I believe that Lan’er will not make mistakes in any way.”

Yu Qian just shook his head and said, "If they could learn from the idiom of ”A wise mother would try to find a good environment for her children's best education” and abandon the wealth and dross of the Rongguo Mansion, it still…”

Halfway through the conversation, he suddenly froze for some reason, his eyes fixed on Sun Shaozong, without saying a word for a while.

“Tingyi? Tingyi?”

Sun Shaozong shouted twice and was about to reach out and shake his hand. Yu Qian suddenly grabbed his wrist and excitedly said, "So since Li-Shi is called Li, her father is also surnamed Li?”

He has always been a well-organized person, but now he just spoke such nonsense, and for a moment, Sun Shaozong didn’t know how to respond.

However, after Yu Qian finished speaking, he immediately realized he had lost his composure. He quickly released Sun Shaozong's wrist and arched his hand, saying, "I’m reckless. I dare to ask if the father of Lady Li, Li Shouzhong, Lord Li?”

If he asked about what characteristics Li Wan has, Sun Shaozong would know. But when asked about her father's name, how did Sun Shaozong know?

After all, Lord Li has been dead for seven or eight years.

However, Yu Qian didn’t expect Sun Shaozong to answer either. After asking, he then muttered to himself, "I heard that Li Shouzhong only has one daughter under his command. So, haven't his out-of-print copies and manuscripts from many years already been passed on to this Lady Li?”

As he spoke, his eyes lit up like wolves, and he said decisively, "That's it; I’m going to take him as my disciple.”

That was…

Wasn’t that too unethical?!

A moment ago, he was worried about his gains and losses and wanted to pass the buck. As soon as he heard that someone else had some rare manuscripts, he rushed to accept them.

Faced with Sun Shaozong's speechless gaze, Yu Qian felt a bit ashamed and then went back to make up, saying, "As the grandson of Lord Shouzhong, he is not just an ordinary layman. I believe he can abide by it.”

“Okay, okay.”

Sun Shaozong waved his hand and said, "You don't need to explain anything to me. Now that this mansion is in a mess, I will send someone to discuss the matter of accepting the apprentice in a few days. By the way, I will explain and help you understand the manuscript and other documents.”

Yu Qian was overjoyed and quickly bowed to the end, "Thank you, Thirteenth Uncle.”

The two of them had already decided on their plan, and then they got up and continued their journey.

Along the way, Yu Qian couldn't suppress his surprise and told the story of Li Shouzhong. It turned out that Lord Li was the most famous scholar in Jinling City during his lifetime, such as Yu Qian, Sun Chengye, Sun Chengtao, and others who had all grown up on their own.

It was said that many people initially believed that Lord Li would be able to enter the Palace as a Minister after the age of fifty. Unfortunately, Lord Li passed away young, before the age of forty.

As they spoke, the two had already left the Grand View Garden and arrived in the front courtyard of Rongguo Mansion.

It was reasonable to say that someone should have come forward to guide the way out, but today the mansion was chaotic, and the two of them walked along without anyone paying attention to them.

Just like this, as they were walking near a remote courtyard, they suddenly heard someone inside shouting, "You bitch! You stole the Master away, and you're going to kill the Master's wife! You guys forgot about the vine, and you guys all thought why am I still alive, right? Come on, I'll let you kill me; I'll let you kill me clean.”

Listening to this movement, it was clear that Wang Xifeng was catching traitors!

Seeing that his previous speculation was right, Sun Shaozong immediately stopped, and Yu Qian next to him also stopped. With a look of disgust on his face, he shook his head and said, "The style of the Rongguo Mansion is really unattractive. If it weren't for the sake of Lord Li...”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw the courtyard door crash open, and a ragged woman with bare feet rushed out as if flying.

“Stop that bitch.”

“Hurry up, hurry up!”

Afterward, Zhou Rui led several healthy servants, holding sticks and ropes and shouting to kill, but they didn’t seriously pursue.

The woman was scared out of her wits when she heard the shouting of murder from behind. She accidentally stumbled and fell, and the unfinished dress peeled off completely. She didn't dare to pick it up either, so she just covered the front with her belly pocket, pouted out a white buttock that looked like a grinding wheel, and quickly left.

Yu Qian was stunned and couldn't help but shake his head, saying, "This is really... This is really…”

Before he could say anything, Jia Lian's angry roar came out of the yard again, "Get out of my way! I can't even live these days anymore. I'll give her a slash today, and I'll pay for my crimes later.”

“Second Master, don't act recklessly.”

“Second Master, be careful.”

“Second Master!”

Inside, there was another commotion, and many men and women were shouting. Soon after, Wang Xifeng rushed out in panic, with a pale pink face and fiery red cheeks. Her footsteps were even more ethereal and powerless. She only took a few steps outside the door and stumbled and limped to the ground.

And at this moment, Jia Lian rushed out of the door, holding a precious sword in his hand and shouting with a tone of expression, "What bitch, don’t you want to die? What are you running away from now?”

How could Sun Shaozong sit idly by and ignore the sight of him chopping the sword and barbs indiscriminately, although he might not dare to harm Wang Xifeng?

He hurried up with an arrow step and protected Wang Xifeng behind him, arched his hand, and said, "Which one of these is causing trouble, Second Brother?”

Unexpectedly, Jia Lian had only become angry with embarrassment and borrowed alcohol to spill the beans. It could be seen that Sun Shaozong came forward to protect Wang Xifeng, and the new and old grudges surged up in his heart!

He then heard his cracked canthus roar and say, "What a bitch! No wonder you were so reckless just now and your emotions have been relied on outside! Alright, well, if I don't chop you two adulterers apart today, I will no longer be named Jia!”

As he spoke, he lifted the three-foot three-inch sword and aimed it at Sun Shaozong, distracting him and stabbing it!

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